EPS camp celebrates SC verdict with crackers, sweets outside party HQ

CHENNAI: Supporters of Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami were in jubilant mood following the Supreme Court’s two-member bench verdict in their favour on Thursday.

It came as a shot in the arm for EPS and their team as the apex court upheld the Madras High Court’s verdict on the conduct of the AIADMK’s General Council meeting on July 11. EPS was appointed as the interim general secretary of the party in that GC meeting.

The SC has also dismissed the petition filed by deposed AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam. It is a major setback for embattled OPS, who declared Dharmayudham 2 a couple of days ago to retrieve the party and protect the party’s bylaws from “dictatorship” of EPS and his team.

The supporters of EPS burst crackers in the party headquarters in Chennai and distributed sweets to celebrate the occasion. It may be recalled the Election Commission of India’s decision over Shiv Shena party and recognising Eknath Shinde faction. The commission allocated the party name and its symbol to Shinde’s camp, citing that a large number of party MLAs and functionaries were with him.

This would bolster the claim of EPS camp further when the issue reaches the ECI in the days to come.

The ECI had allocated AIADMK’s ‘Two-Leaves’ to the EPS camp for the Erode East by-poll following the SC’s interim order to hold a GC meeting to decide on party candidates. The OPS camp decided against participating the process of electing the candidate and called party Presidium Chairman Tamizhmahan Hussain acted in an unfairly manner and red-flagged the entire exercise of electing KS Thennarasu as the candidate for the by-poll on behalf of the party.

Meanwhile, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran called the verdict as a “temporary victory” to EPS and wondered whether he would be able to win the Erode East bypoll, while EPS supporter and former minister Natham R Viswanathan told media that it was a victory for the cadres, loyalists of Amma (Jayalalithaa) and justice delivered.